PLANS to replace a popular garage and ice-cream parlour in Swansea with a larger ice-cream parlour and flat, which led to nearly 270 objections, have been turned down on appeal.
The development would have meant West Cross Garage having to relocate from Mumbles Road or close, and a Welsh Government-appointed planning inspector said losing this type of employment use at the site should not be permitted because the garage was viable and, while of “limited architectural merit”, was not harmful to the character or appearance of the area.
The inspector, Richard James, also said the two-bedroom flat planned above the ice-cream parlour was in a zone with the highest risk of sea flooding and “highly vulnerable development” in terms of planning policy.
The appellant had argued via a planning agent that the garage was in an inappropriate location among an “attractive residential area” and didn’t have adequate parking.
The agent also said the proposed flat was on the first floor and therefore well above any potential flooding, and that their client planned to build a 1.5m seawall – the top third of which would be glass – to protect the site.
But Mr James’ decision report said people living in the flat would have to leave it via the ground floor in the event of coastal flooding and that it was therefore “significantly harmful to future occupant safety”. The report said: “Such an obvious conflict with national policy cannot be overlooked.” He added that the introduction of a raised section of seawall would not change its flood risk categorisation.
Turning to the design of the proposed ice-cream parlour and flat, which would be adjacent rather than attached to the neighbouring house as West Cross Garage and Ripples cafe and ice-cream parlour currently are, Mr James said while modern in appearance it would look “boxy”, “oppressive” and “harmfully imposing”.
The appellant said the three-storey building’s design and size had been reduced following pre-application advice from the council’s planning department and, while taller, had a smaller footprint than the existing two businesses.
The development, according to the appellant, would also result in a net increase in four full and part-time jobs due to the larger ice-cream parlour. Mr James said it would nonetheless result in the loss of garage-type employment use, which was a “significant and overriding consideration”.
The appeal by Business Advice Ltd director David Morgan came after the council’s planning department turned his planning application down on three grounds. The application, which included two parking spaces for the flat and one for ice-cream parlour staff, had led to 268 letters of objection and two in support.
Previous plans in 2022 to knock down Ripples and West Cross Garage and build a detached house prompted 1,174 objection letters and were also refused by the council.
Mr Morgan said he didn’t wish to comment on the latest planning appeal decision. The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted West Cross Garage and Ripples but no-one responded at the time of going to press.
